A Santa Ana man faces the possibility of life in prison after Orange County prosecutors said he shot two 13-year-old boys in Santa Ana from his car, killing one of them, and wounding another teen while the boy He was inside his own kitchen. .
Raymond Mario Jimenez, 27, was charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with the June 5 drive-by shooting on Pine Street in the Santa Ana district of Orange County. Lawyer. Todd Spitzer's office said in a news release Monday.
The two 13-year-old boys were running toward their apartment building on Bishop Avenue about 12:15 p.m., minutes after some kind of confrontation, when Jimenez arrived, stopped and shot at them from his vehicle, prosecutors said. Daniel Vargas, 13, was fatally shot in the head. A second victim, a 16-year-old who authorities said heard the gunshots and looked out his kitchen window, was also shot in the head but survived.
The shooting took place near an elementary school and forced the school to go on lockdown, according to prosecutors.
Police found Vargas injured on the ground near a sidewalk. The other 13-year-old boy was found unharmed in the area, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
The 16-year-old was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, prosecutors said. Vargas was taken to Orange County Global Medical Center, where he died two days after the shooting.
Homicide investigators arrested and booked Jiménez the same day Vargas died. He was charged June 11 with murder, attempted murder, shooting into an inhabited dwelling and six felonies for allegedly discharging a firearm causing serious bodily injury or death. If he is convicted, he faces life in prison without parole.
Jiménez is scheduled to be arraigned on July 10.
A GoFundMe set up to help Vargas' family with funeral expenses said people knew him for “his passion for football and his excitement about starting high school.”
He recently graduated from Fundamental Méndez Middle School in Santa Ana, according to the publication.
Prosecutors did not reveal the motive behind the drive-by shooting, but the Santa Ana Police Department said any tips related to the case are eligible for a department reward program.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call Santa Ana Police Department homicide detectives at (714) 245-8390 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) 847-6227.
